I am recently back in Madison after spending five days at the Zone 29 & 25b Conference in Kansas City. I was honored to have been chosen, along with Steve Nick from Eau Claire, to attend the Leadership Development seminar. As part of the course, we had small group chats (about 24 of us) with the RI President Elect Holger Knaack and the first female RI Vice President, Jennifer Jones. Needless to say, it was a very exciting week, and I'm back with all kinds of information and ideas for our club and district. One hot topic that Rotarians were asking about is whether RI will ever address environmental concerns as one of our areas of focus. I am happy to report that Holger informed us that the Board of Directors will actually be discussing and voting on that topic this fall.
Is October 24th marked on your calendar in bold? It's Pints for Polio night at the Great Dane! Our Club will be officially meeting at the Hilldale location (this counts as our social for the month). $1 from every pint will go towards polio eradication, plus a $2 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bring your friends and family, and share on social media. And those events were just in the last two weeks...Take a look at the club calendar on our website and you'll see that we're not slowing down at all over the next six weeks!
See you on Sunday,
Erin Luken 2019-2020 President
Upcoming Events
Saturday, October 5th - Club Fundraiser: Bucky Beads
Next to the Madison South Rotary Club Brat Stand, 1437 Monroe St., Madison, 8:00 am - 11:45 am
Come over before the UW Badgers vs. Kent State football game and help raise money for our Youth Exchange Program. All proceeds from our bead necklace sales go towards funding our exchange students. Shifts are 8:00 am - 10:00 am and 9:45 am - 11:45 am. Sign up for shifts here or email us at madisonrotaryah@gmail.com.
Saturday, October 5th - Volunteer Event: Lussier Food Pantry
Lussier Community Education Center, 55 S. Gammon Rd, Madison, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Volunteer with us at the Lussier Community Education Center food pantry! Four volunteers are needed to work from 11:45 am until 1:00 pm. Sign up for shifts here or email us at madisonrotaryah@gmail.com.
Sunday, October 6th – Club Meeting: Vheneka Magazi
The Post at Park Hotel, 22 S Carroll St, Madison, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Come to the social at 6:30 pm in The Post, then join us at the meeting to hear from Vheneka Magazi, a Rotary Exchange Student from Zimbabwe. Vheneka arrived in Madison in January, a week before the polar vortex. He currently attends West High School and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madison (Downtown).
Saturday, October 12th - Club Fundraiser: Bucky Beads
Next to the Madison South Rotary Club Brat Stand, 1437 Monroe St., Madison, 11:30 am - 3:15 pm
Come over before the UW Badgers vs. Michigan State football game and help raise money for our Youth Exchange Program. All proceeds from our bead necklace sales go towards funding our exchange students. Shifts are 11:30 am - 1:30 pm and 1:15 pm - 3:15 pm. Sign up for shifts here or email us at madisonrotaryah@gmail.com.
Saturday, October 19th - Service Event: UW Arboretum Restoration
Corner of Seminole Hwy and the Beltline Frontage Road, Madison, 9:00 am - noon
Join us as we learn about the Arboretum plant communities, cut brush from restored areas, and remove invasive plants. Tools, equipment, instruction, and refreshments are provided. Participants are advised to wear long pants, sturdy shoes, work gloves, and seasonally appropriate clothing. Meet at teh UW Arboretum Grady Tract Parking Lot, at the Southeast corner of Seminole Hwy and the Beltline Frontage Road.
Sunday, October 20th – Club Meeting: Will Harris, Executive Director of WCCN
The Post at Park Hotel, 22 S Carroll St, Madison, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Will was a recipient of the Rotary World Peace Fellowship, which he used to pursue a Master's Degree in International Relations at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, focusing his thesis on the topic of microfinance in Latin America. For 35 years, Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN) has created opportunities for access to microfinance, services and markets to improve the lives and communities of the working poor in Latin America. In that time, they have invested a total of $134 million, reaching an average of 25,000 small business owners every year.
Thursday, October 24th - Club Social: Pints for Polio
Great Dane Hilldale, 357 Price Place, Madison, all day
October 24th is World Polio Day and to celebrate, all Madison Great Dane Pubs will be donating $1 to Rotary's Polio Plus Fund for every pint, crowler, growler, and 6-pack sold that day. Every dollar donated will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. All Rotary members are encouraged to share this event and also attend with families and friends. See you on the 24th!
Our meeting on October 6, 2019 will feature Rotary Exchange Student Vheneka Magazi as the speaker. Vheneka arrived in Madison from Harare, Zimbabwe in January 2019, one week before the polar vortex. He is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madison and is a senior at West High School.
Join us at our meeting on Sunday, October 20 at 6:30 pm. Our speaker will be Will Harris, Executive Director of WCCN.
For 35 years, Working Capital for Community Needs (WCCN) has created opportunities for access to microfinance, services and markets to improve the lives and communities of the working poor in Latin America. In that time, we have invested a total of $134 million, reaching an average of 25,000 small business owners every year. WCCN empowers low-income Latin American entrepreneurs by sustaining partnerships with microfinance organizations and fair trade coffee organizations in Nicaragua, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru.
Will was a recipient of the Rotary World Peace Fellowship which he used to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, focusing his thesis on the topic of microfinance in Latin America. Will came to WCCN from the World Council of Credit Unions, and previously served on the WCCN Board of Directors for three years. He has a deep interest in Latin American culture, poverty issues, and economic development. Will speaks near native Spanish and Portuguese.
October 24th is World Polio Day and to celebrate, all Madison Great Dane Pubs will be donating $1 to Rotary’s Polio Plus Fund for every pint, crowler, growler and 6 pack sold that day. Every dollar donated will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. All Rotary members are encouraged to share this event and also attend with families and friends. See you on the 24th!
Pints for Polio shirts can be ordered directly via Madison Top's website. The cost is $15. A portion of that will cover the cost of production and the remainder will go back to the clubs. The shirts, when ready, will be sorted by club and delivered for further distribution.
We are Connected by Our Rotary Stories. Stories inspire us - service transforms us.
Join us to learn how to be a better storyteller in words and pictures. Enjoy the easy fellowship of sharing stories. Make a plan to advance club Membership and Service goals through stories shared in two settings: Club Events and Social Media.
You'll be glad you came. We're looking forward to a fun event that strengthens and supports both you and your club!
Dave Warren, of the Rotary Club of Janesville, has helped design a portion of this multi-club humanitarian expedition to Nicaragua. The main trip will be from December 4th- 9th, and there is an optional add-on to stay and continue the visit through December 13th. There are several visits to schools and hospitals on the schedule, as well as distributing Christmas gifts. To see the entire schedule, costs, and how to sign up, click on "Club Documents" on the upper right of our website, and choose the Nicaragua Trip folder. The details of the trip extension that Dave has planned can be accessed here. Contact Dave Warren for more information and answers to your questions, too.
Prizes will be awarded to the first person to complete items 1-7, everyone that completes items 1-7 before December 31, 2019, and to anyone that completes items 1-12 before June 30, 2020.
